Work Text:
It was October thirteenth.
Luz Noceda had been known to be missing for just over six weeks. In reality, she’d been missing for over four months.
Many of the searches had been called off once they hit week four. The rescue teams had come up with nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was like Luz had simply walked through a door and vanished.
Reality Check Summer Camp had been sued for not informing anyone that Luz hadn’t made it to their camp the day she left. The camp was currently in the process of being shut down because of many other problems being brought to life. Let’s just say the camp was so bad that informing anyone of such a thing as a missing camper would’ve gotten them in legal trouble a lot faster.
But no amount of suing could bring back Luz.
Camilia Noceda, a nurse, a divorcee, a mother.
At least, she still hoped so.
Some searches continued on. Both around her neighborhood and the surrounding area of the summer camp. They had checked the highways, all the roads leading towards the camp, and where they kept the buses. Nothing came up.
But many of the volunteer searches had stopped. Either because they were getting tired of searching for an invisible child that was never well-liked to begin with or because they believed there was no hope, Camilia couldn’t tell. It was probably a case of both, now that she thought about it.
She had gotten letters. She had gotten texts. She knew those were from Luz, they had to be.
But now that she looked at the letters, she grew doubtful that she had ever written those. They didn’t feel like Luz.
The texts she knew were real. Those were Luz. The texts had stopped around the first month of summer, but the letters kept coming in. She assumed Luz didn’t have a lot of places to charge her phone. Or maybe she preferred the letters. Strange, but nothing to be alarmed about.
The camp had insisted that they never sent the letters. The police believed that if that were the case, it would mean Luz had been kidnapped. And the letters were sent so that no one would be the wiser.
‘Why would someone want to take Luz?’ Camilia often found herself asking.
Sitting at her kitchen table, with shadows beginning to stretch across the unlit room as dusk approached, she had a few ideas.
Luz was a gullible, naive kid. Camilia said this in the kindest way she could. Luz never had friends, at least, not for very long. Yet, she was always so cheerful in her weird Luz way. Any monster would see her as an easy target.
But that didn’t explain the texts.
Did Luz end up at a different camp by mistake? Did she lose her phone? Was she being forced to write those by God-knows whatever had her?
Camila sighed and shook her head, leaning on her elbows as she stared down at the card in front of her.
It didn’t make any sense.
‘She ran away.’ Whispered a small voice in her head. ‘She hated going to that camp. You knew she hated it. You sent her anyway. She ran away. And it’s all your fault.’
Camilia wouldn’t believe her daughter would run away from home. She wouldn’t...would she?
‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’ She thought numbly. ‘She’s gone now.’
Horrible thoughts had crowded her mind that first week. Things far worse than a simple abduction. She’d never wish any harm upon her child, but if forced to choose, she’d take Luz running away to be in the circus for all she cared if faced with the many, many worse things that could’ve happened to her.
She should’ve never sent her to that camp. She should’ve never made her leave. She should’ve taken her daughter, held her close, and said that she didn’t care how strange she was. She should’ve let Luz catch as many snakes as she wanted and make her own weird snake garden in the backyard.
She almost snorted at that thought. But she found she meant it all.
Camilia loved Luz, weirdness and all. She never should have tried to take it away from her.
She should’ve told her that.
Now all she could do was sit at her kitchen table in the fading light, staring at the birthday card in front of her.
Her work friends had advised against getting anything today. It would’ve made the pain worse, they said. Some of them suggested making her own little party. They fought on what Camilia should do for her own daughter’s birthday.
October thirteenth.
Luz liked her birthday. She said it made her like a real witch. Born in the month of Halloween and on the unluckiest day. She said it was a sign she was meant to be a witch.
Camilia knew she was mostly playing around. When she was younger, she’d laugh and agree, saying that being born on such a day, it meant she would have to work twice as hard. And it would make her twice as amazing.
The last few years, she’d simply sighed and said that was nice to hear.
She’d give anything to be able to go back and tell Luz just how special she was again.
Today was supposed to be Luz’s quinceañera. Camilia had already been preparing for a small party, just like all the others. A party of just herself and Luz. And perhaps one of the random kids invited from the school who didn’t have anything better to do.
Luz said she didn’t mind. Camilia knew she was lying every time. Luz loved having parties with her, yes, but she knew how much Luz wanted to have a party with friends. Real, honest friends.
The first birthday Luz was having without her, and it was on her quinceañera. The day where Luz was supposed to start looking forward, leaving childhood. So tradition said, at least. Camila knew Luz would still be her funny little self, but it was the sentiment that counted.
What a cruel first birthday to spend alone.
Camila picked up the card in front of her, turning it over. The front was green with a black witch hat on it. At the top, in white cursive, it read; Have a wicked birthday!
The inside was the same shade of green, and had the silhouette of a craggly old green and black witch, black cat and all. The inside had the words; Which witch is which? Why, one’s birthday is today! Good luck brewing those potions!
It was cheesy and corny, and nothing splendid. Luz would have loved it.
Camilia couldn’t have left it at just a card. Resting on the couch somewhere behind her was the sixth book in The Good Witch Azura series. It had come out only a few days ago, and was near impossible to get this early. She had to search a long time to be able to find one.
And now it would sit unread for who knows how long.
Camila raised a hand to her eyes and wiped at them, ridding herself of the tears before they could fall. It was her daughter's birthday, after all. She couldn’t cry today.
“Happy birthday, Luz.” She said quietly, staring at the front of the card. “I love you.” She choked, bringing a hand to her mouth as she felt her eyes beginning to water again.
“I love you...so, so much.” Tears fell freely now. She set down the card and put her face in her hands, choking back wails.
Nobody was around to hear her. Not even the neighbors. But it didn’t feel right to cry so openly, not now.
So her shoulders shook as she gasped out half-cries, her kitchen nearly completely dark now.
“Lo siento, cariño.”
What a happy birthday indeed.